Device for supporting and holding cartridges



(No Model.)

E. PRINGLE.

DEVICE POR SUPPORTING AND HOLDING CARTRIDGES IN EIREARMS. No. 484,457. Patented Oct. 18, 1892.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

EUGENE PRINGLE, on eLovEEsvLLLE, NEW YORK.

DEVICE FOR SUPPORTING AND HOLDING CARTRIDGES IN: FIREARMS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N`o. 484,457, dated October 18, 1892.

Application led September 18, 1889. Serial No. 324,324. o model.) e

To ai@ whom, it may concern,.- 1

Be 1t known that I, EUGENE PEINGLE, a citi*- zen ofl the United States, residing at Gloversville, in the county of Fulton and State of New York, have invented a new and useful Device for Supporting and Holding Cartridges 1n Firearms, of which the following is a specificatlon.

My invention relates to a device for use in connect1on with rifles, Shotguns, pistols, and other firearms for supporting, holding, and firing cartridges of reduced capacity or size for short-range shooting; and it consists of a device constructed to enter into the barrel of the firearm from its opened breech end and provlded with means for supporting, holding, and firing cartridges, all substantially as hereinafter described, and set forth in the claims.

It is well known that persons desirous of practicing shooting with rides, Shotguns, and pistols at targets or objects, in view of becoming skilled or expert marksinen, are required (especially when living in cities) to resort to places so conditioned as to afford such sufficient range of distance of target as may be adapted to the firing of cart-ridges of usual capacity in their rifles or other arms with safety and also with precision. This requirement obliges persons desirous of becoming expert shooters or keeping in practice of good shootin g to spend considerable time or money, o r both, to have access to such a long or suiclent range, while at the same time the eX- pense attending the firing of cartridges of usual sizes employed with firearms in practice at target-shooting is so very great as to induce a less-frequent practice or atiring of a less number of cartridges than would be had were the expenses considerably lessened.

The objects of my invention are principally to provide rilies, Shotguns, pistols, and other firearms with an interior cartridge supporter and holder which can be applied or withdrawn at will and have applied to it a cartridge of smaller or reduced capacity than is generally used with the firearm and containing a less quantity of powder than in the usual cartridge and also have means for firing the cartridge, and, lastly, to provide particular combinations of devices or parts by which this invention may be carried into effect. I attain these objects by the means illustrated in the accompanying drawings,

forming a part of this specification, in which- Figure 1 is aside elevation of my interior cartridge -holder with -a cartridge applied thereto for use in a firearm. Fig. 2 is a sectional elevation of the same and illustrates one form of firing-pin and a cartridge for use with the same. Fig. 3 is a sectional elevation illustrating the sa'me with another form of firingpin and a corresponding cartridge. Fig. 4 is a `sectional view of the cartridgeholder with one portion raised for application of the cartridge. Fig. 5 is a sectional view of a cartridge detached from the holder and which can be used with the same. Fig. Gisa side view of the cartrige-holder and with each half of side illustrating a mode of constructioiii of the jointed parts of the same. Fig. 7 is a side view of a cartridge and its connected holding part. Fig. 8 'is a sectional view of the interior cartridge-holder having some of its parts modified. Fig. 9 is a sectional View of a corresponding cartridge. Fig. 10 is a view of the breech end of a firearm, part broken away and exposing the cartridge-holder and its applied cartridge in place therein. Fig. 11 is a side elevation of a cartridge of usual construction and size corresponding with the size and form of the exterior of the `cartridgeholder and its short-range cartridge, illustrated in Figs. 1 and 10; and Fig. l2 is a sectional view illustrating the cartridge-holder provided with a single holding device or jaw, with a corresponding cartridge applied thereto.

The same letters of reference refer to similar parts throughout the several views.

The interior cartridge-holder has its body A made of metal, and preferably of steehand with a size and form preferably corresponding with that of the portion of the bore of the barrel of the firearm it is to occupy when used with a short-range cartridge, as cartridge B. This body A has integral with its base end an annular fiange for engagement with an extractor and with its forward end a cartridge-holding device A and is chambered to hold a reciprocating firing-pin. This cartridge-holding device A (made integral with the body A) is extended from the front end of said body to a distance sufficient to include in it provision for secure engagement with both the angular ICO toot or projection b and recess Z1', made with "the rear end of the shell of the cartridge B. This provision for holding with the said portions of the said cartridge consists in one part of the recess or notch or groove o. substantially adjoining the forward end of the body A of theholder and with a size and form co1'- :responding with the projection b, made with `the stem at the base of the cartridge, and in another part the projection a3 extended inwardly from the bottom of said recess ct to a short distance toward the line of axis of the `hody A, so as to l,fill the recess b between the base of the shell of the cartridge and the angular foot or projection b. This cartridgelholding device A', made integral with the bodyA and having'withit the recess, groove, or notch a and inwardly-projected portion n3, forms, substantially, a jaw, which will have `a strong holding with the cartridge when both `are in place within the bore of the barrel.

`Although a single holding device A, integral with the body A, can be used, as illus- `trated in Fig. 12, yet with it a second jaw can be employed, as illustrated in Fig. 4.

The holding-jaw Ahas hinged to it at any suitable point the holding-jaw A2; but the point of such hi-nging is not essential, for the `jawA2 may be hinged or otherwise jointed to the jaw A at the rear end of the body A or `at any point forward of the same which will permit jaw A2 to be raised away from jaw,A to a sufficient distance to allow the foot-end ,portion b of cartridge B to pass into the recesses a a2 made in the respective jaws, as shown. ln Figs. 2, 3, 4, and 8 the jaw A2 is shown to be made integral with the arm a, `which works in a longitudinal slot or groove t, Figs. 2 and 4, made in the body A3, with which jaw A is integral, and this arm (t is .shown to be jointed with body AS by pin d.

The drawings, Figs. 1, 4, and 8, show the body A3 to have its forward end provided at its connected jaw A with the shoulder e, `which operates as a reinforcing element to `jaw A2 and gives support to said jaw when the cartridge is red. The rear end of body A8 is provided with the rimange f, similar to that employed with cartridges, and asa convenient means for removal of this cartridgeholder from the breech of the barrel C of the `lirearm.

In the upper-side half of Fig. 6 the arm a `is shown to have made with it a wing (1,4 for engagement with a corresponding recess a made in the body A3, while the lower-half side lof said figure shows this wing and recess omitted.

`Any suitable firing-pin can be employed within the cartridge-holder for firing the cartridge B by percussion on its cap or on the portion thereof containing the cap or its equivalent. Figs. 2 and 4 show this firing-pin D to he central in the body of the holder for firing or exploding the cap in the foot end l) of the cartridge, while in Figs. 3 and 8 is shown an obliquely-moving firing-pin D for striking on llt 484,457

the rim g of the flange-form foot ZJ of the cartridge B.

The tiring-piu D is retained in place in the body A3 of the holder by any suitable means, or by the screw-threaded holding-pin m in the body A3, holding with the shouldered seat n, made in a side of the tiring-pin, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3. This firing-pin can have an elastic support within its way, as by spring s, or the spring can be omitted.

The cartridge B can be made with a shell B of any suitable form of construction, and is provided with powder, a fulminating material, and a bullet or other equivalent missile. This cartridge has its shell B made with a length from its rear end, as from 7L and its front end h', which will be suiiicient, with the length of the cartridge-holder A, to produce in their aggregate length an extension from the fiangef of holder A to the front end 7L of the shell B about equal to that of the shell of capacity of charge usually employed with the firearm, as shell B2 in Fig. 11, with which latter the cartridge-holder A and shell B', Figs. 1, 2, and 3, unitedly correspond in proportions, size, and form.

The shell B of the cartridge B has made with it the holding-footb, connected with said shell by the neck b', as shown. This foot b corresponds with the recesses a a2 made in the jaws A and A2 of the holder A, and the neck b is made to correspond with the seats a3, made in said jaws forward of their respective foot-holding recesses a. a2, as shown, so that the base end h of the shell B' will have full bearing against the forward ends of the jaws A A2 when they are closed on the foot and neck of the shell, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3.

The cartridges above referred to form no part of this invention,but are subject-matter for a separat-e patent.

By means of this cartridge-holder a cartridge having a shell of reduced length and holding a small charge of powder and abullet of usual size and weight can be employed in the firearm the same as a cartridge having the usual length of shell and full charge of powder, While the bullet will be held in the short-range vcartridge at the distance from the breech end of the firearm it is designed to be held for good shooting. If preferred, one of the jaws can be omitted and the shell of the cartridge can be made with a form of base end which will lill the interval in the cartridge-holder caused by such omission of a jaw, as shown in Fig. 12; or, if preferred, both jaws can be omitted and by suitable corresponding screw-threads made with the forward end of thecartridge-holder and the base end of the shell of the cartridge the latter can be securely held with the former; or any other form of device for securely connecting the shell of the cartridge with the cartridge-holder can be employed without departing from the spirit of my invention.

This cartridge-holder is applied in place IOO ITC

i l l within the bore of the firearm from its breech end by inserting it after the cartridge has been secured thereto, preferably as above described. WVhen in place in the rearm, the rim-iian ge f, provided with the rear end ofthe body of this holder, will be in situation to be engaged with by the extractor of the firearm for its withdrawal from the same, and itsl firing-pin D will be in situation to receive on 1o its rear end the blow of the firing-pin proper of the firearm to drive said pin D forward to explode the cartridge.

Having described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent,

1. A cartridge-holder for firearms, formed by the combination of a metallic body provided at its base end with a rim-Hang@ and at its opposite end with a cartridge-holding 2o device which is integral with said body and has in it the recess a. for engagement with the flange form or foot or projection b of a cartridge of a firing device working in the body of the said holder, substantially as and z 5 for the purposes set forth. j

' 2. A cartridge-holder for firearms, formed ""by the combination of the metallic body having with its base end a rim-ange and with its opposite end a cartridge-holding de- 3o vice which is integral with the said body and has with it an angular form of holding projection a3, and an angular recess a' between said holding projection and the body of said cartridge-holder, and a firing device or pin having an oblique form of movement in the said body, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

3. In a cartridge-holder fo'r firearms, the combination, with the metallic body of size 4o corresponding with the bore of the barrel of the firearm, and having wit-h its rear end provision for engagement with an extractor and integral with its forward portion a cartridge-holding jaw, of a jointed coacting jaw and a firing-pin, substantially as and for the purposes set forth. Y

4. In a cartridge-holder for firearms, the combination, with. a body-piece of size and form correspondi with the bore of the barrel of the firearm, of cartridge-holding jaws which can be opened and closed at will and by their ends support the base of a cartridge and a firing device, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

5. In a cartridge-holder for firearms, the combination, with a body-piece of size corresponding with the bore of the barrel of the firearm and provided at its base end with a Iiange-rim for engagement with an extractor and having integral with its forward end portion a cartridge-holding jaw, of a coacting cartridge-holding jaw jointed with said body and a firing-pin working within said body, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

6. In an interior cartridge-holder for firearms, the combination, with a body-piece of size and form corresponding with that of the bore of the barrel of the firearm and having on its rear end a flange-rim and on its front end a jaw containing a recess for holding a ange made with the shell of a cartridge, of a coacting movable jaw provided with a corresponding recess, and a firing-pin which can be moved by the action of the mechanism of the firearm toward said recesses in said jaws, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

EUGENE PRINGLE.

IVitnesses:

CHARLES SELKIRK, ALEX. SELKJRK. 

